Kenvil & Lake Hopatcong Auto Repair

Spring training is when our favorite teams suit up and get their game on. Practice, as they say, makes perfect. We believe the same is true here at Automotive Magic. The Magic isn’t something that is gifted and then taken for granted. It’s earned, learned, nurtured, and matured. That is why we invest our time and financial resources into our team. The automotive industry is ever-changing and evolving, staying on top of the technology is critical to our success and providing the best possible care for your vehicle.  The ASE training is one avenue of source our techs use to learn and grow. The ASE certification is a level of excellence obtained through a series of classes, specific to repair and service consultants. We’ve supported our team members to take part in conferences where the seminars are intense and full of valuable information which we can use to better our services and actions for you.  This year is no different. Some of our team attended the ATI ... read more

Here we have a 2012 Ford E-350 Super Duty with a 6.8L V10 that was having multiple cylinders misfiring. After checking for the basics, air fuel and spark all were working as they should. Checking compression showed the engine was having issues in the cylinder sealing d.epartment. Our technician Pete then performed a cylinder leak down test compressing the cylinder with air while the valves are closed. In doing this he was able to determine the cylinder was leaking past the intake and exhaust valves. This is from “burnt valves”, a condition that causes pitting at the valve “seat” where the valve seals the cylinder. Burnt valves happen for many reasons but no matter the reason, the cylinder heads needed to come off and they received a full rebuild from our favorite machine shop.   Before getting the heads back we also decarbonized the pistons and rings to make the bottom end fresh and sealed. The customer took our advice while we were there doing the timing ... read more

Do you ever find yourself having to fill up your tires with air every once and a while? You think you may have a leak, so you take it somewhere to have it checked out and what do you know, you are told that your tire is fine. But how could that be? It was obviously low and losing pressure somewhere.  Most people are unaware that tires are almost constantly losing pressure. The compound and structure that make up a tire is actually filled with tons of microscopic pores, similar to your skin. This causes the air to leak out of the tire at an extremely slow rate, even if you don’t have any puncture in the rubber. One way to battle this slow leak is with Nitrogen. Nitrogen molecules are bigger than Oxygen molecules, so they have more trouble leaking through the tiny pores.  Another benefit of using Nitrogen is that temperature does not affect it like it affects regular air.. If you live in an area where there are drastic temperature changes, you may notice that your tires ... read more

One thing that we know for certain is that tires for your car or truck are expensive. The higher quality and longer lasting they are the price naturally increases. The bummer is that we can’t drive without tires and we shouldn’t drive with tires that are in poor condition, for safety reasons alone you should always make your tires a priority no matter where you live.   Here in the northeast, we have weather conditions that cause damage to the road surfaces, and ultimately can cause damage to your tires and your car in general. Getting a routine alignment check at Magic Lube and Rubber is a service that we offer to all of our customers. When your car is in alignment it ensures that your tires are in contact with the road surface evenly and can actually extend the life of your tires.  When your vehicle is in proper alignment you can avoid premature tire wear and detect if your steering and suspension are not at their proper settings.  ... read more

GMC Acadia, Crank But No Start.  Here we have a GMC Acadia with a crank but no start condition. No matter how long you try to crank the engine, the most you may get is a sputter if you're lucky. After running a few diagnostic tests, our technician Jay was able to prove that the SUV has spark and fuel, which leaves only one thing left to test for, compression. After compression testing the cylinders and also adding compressed air into the spark plug holes, (also known as a cylinder leak down test) he was able to confirm that the engine does not have good compression and is also leaking air into the intake and exhaust manifolds. Digging a little deeper proves the engine is out of time, this is a very common issue with these engines as the timing chain stretches and the guides wear down past the point the tensioner can keep the engine in time. Timing in an engine simply put is the synchronization of the top half of the engine (camsh ... read more

Ryan Herbst comes to the Magic Family having decades in creating breakthroughs in business in other industries. He spent 9 years with Starbucks in the early days as a fixer- turning around unprofitable stores in a matter of months. He has also spent 8 years in the biologic industry where compliance to federal and international regulations was centerpiece, giving him unique insight into the balance between public safety and profitability. Most recently, Ryan was a Landmark Staff member for 7 years, leading the company in exceeding targets all while coaching hundred of individuals to cause their own breakthroughs in personal and professional performance goals. He has been with the Magic Team since June of 2021 in the role of "Implementer." He brings a suite of executive coaching, planning, forecasting and execution skills with him that has had us expand and open our second shop! His doggie, Fritz, is almost old enough to vote, and has a deep love of making beauti ... read more

Petro "Pete" Chang is a graduate of Wyotech and specialized in automotive and light-duty diesel. He has over 13 years of experience in the automotive field. He brings with him first-hand knowledge of the inner workings of the auto repair industry and has played a key part in the business aspects. There isn't too much Pete doesn't know about how to get things done around the shop and he is enthusiastic about each challenge that is put in front of him.   Not only is he experienced with vehicles, but he is also very in tune with customer relations and cares for both the client and their vehicles, always setting the bar at the highest level.    We are excited to have Pete and his many talents on our team and we know that our clients will benefit from his passion for everything automotive.    Pete is an avid outdoorsman. On his time off, he enjoys being out in the woods, bow hunting, out on the water with his rod and reel, o ... read more

It happens to all of us. Yes, we all get older, but that isn’t what I’m talking about. What happens to all of us is emissions checks. Some of us do it more frequently than others… if your vehicle is new. The older your vehicle gets, the more often the state requires us to check our rides. I have to look up where to go for the emissions check. Golly, something that is required becomes so much work! What if it didn’t have to be another chore to do? What if you could get your vehicle repaired and inspected at the same place!? Oh my gosh, that would be awesome! Does such a place exist?? Yes, it does! At Automotive Magic and Magic Lube and Rubber we can do it all! When the time rolls around, and you get the letter in the mail to get your vehicle inspected, it can be easy. You’re reading this so you’re already being educated in the importance of maintenance. The stress of &ldqu ... read more

This guy right here has some magic up his sleeves and then some! Meet Joshua (Josh) Occhiuzzo, He’s our newest addition to the Magic Lube and Rubber Team. Josh is a graduate of the automotive program at Universal Technical Institute. He brings with him over five years of automotive experience. Josh gained most of his hands-on experience from dealerships such as Honda, Kia and Hyundai, so he has a great deal of knowledge that he brings to the table. Josh loves a challenge and is always striving to learn and grow every day.      He enjoys fixing anything that has an engine and spends countless hours doing just that.  When he’s not fixing, fixing, and fixing some more, he enjoys video games and riding ATVs or Dirt bikes with his brother. Josh resides in Blairstown, NJ and it’s the perfect setting for him because he loves the great outdoors and nature. He’s a real family guy and spending time with his family, friends, and his girlfriend April ... read more

  As you know, Automotive Magic prides itself on the people we have on our team. Each one of our crew brings their own unique set of skills and insights that help make the Magic happen.  Over the last few months, we’ve increased and improved our family. With Magic Lube and Rubber finishing off its second month in business we’re really excited that we have in place what we would consider a dream team. And we’ve also filled some pretty significant shoes at the Automotive Magic location as well. If you are at all familiar with darts, we hit a hat trick with this group of gentlemen.  Let's start off with Brandon Birmingham, our new service consultant over at Automotive Magic. Brandon is currently studying at Stratford University. He’s studying automotive and once his education is complete, he’ll have earned his certification as an automotive technician. Brandon is from Budd Lake, NJ, and as a wee little guy he’s always been ... read more